March 743 - BMW F2, Chassis 05
The March 743-BMW F2 was entered by Brissago Blauband Racing in 1974 and the start of the 1975 season and driven by Swiss driver Jo Vonlanthen.
The story...
The combination of the fuel crisis and the dominance of the 1973 season by the March-BMW combination led to a major turnover of teams and constructors in 1974.
March sold 18 of the new March 742s and ran another two in a works team of Patrick Depailler and Hans Stuck. The closest competitors to March were the Alpine A367 (known as the Elf 2) from France, and the Chevron B27 and Surtees TS15A from Britain, both of which were only minor upgrades to the previous season's cars.
All the March 742s came equipped with exclusive works BMW engines but Schnitzer also had very effective BMW powerplants, and these were used by Alpine, Ron Dennis's Ecuador Marlboro Team Surtees TS15As and Team Baty in a works-assisted Chevron B27.
At the start of the 1974 season Jo Vonlanthen used a new March 742S chassis (S for short-nose configuration), but he crashed the car during practice and was unable to participate in the race. The tub was replaced by a new 743-05 chassis, originally invoiced to Obermoser for a F3 project, but instead is was rebuilt to F2 specifications and used by Jo.
The 743-05 was raced by Vonlanthen at Hockenheim in April, by Dieter Basche at Hockenheim in June, by Vonlanthen at Mugello in July and by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud at Nogaro in September. It may also have been the car used by Vonlanthen in Swiss and German domestic events during 1974. It was converted to long-nosed specification over the close-season, and was raced by Vonlanthen at Estoril, the opening round of the 1975 season, where he scored a second place behind Jacques Lafitte.
About the
March 743 - BMW F2, Chassis 05
Everything you need to know
The March 743-BMW F2 was entered by Brissago Blauband Racing in 1974 and the start of the 1975 season and driven by Swiss driver Jo Vonlanthen. Jo started the 1974 season with a 742 chassis, but changed the monocoque to the 743-05 after an accident at Montjuich Park, Barcelona during practice of the opening race of the European Championship. At Estoril 1975 a second place was his best result with the car on offer.
Item
Period Technical Specification
Technical Specification as sold
Chassis
Suspension front
Suspension rear
Engine
In 1972, in order to keep pace with Formula 1, the regulations for Formula 2 were changed to allow the use of 2000cc, production-based engines. At the time, the only engine available was the Ford BDG.
In the 12 months that followed, BMW created 50 M12/7 engines. Fitted with Bosch/Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection, the 1991cc engine had an 89mm bore, 80mm stroke and compression ratio as high as 13:1. It produced in excess of 300bhp over 9000RPM. BMW struck an exclusivity deal with March to take all 50 engines that had been produced.
In 1973, the BMW M12/7 powered March 732 took to the track. In its maiden outing at the season opener at Mallory Park, piloted by the relatively unknown French driver Jean-Pierre Jarier, it won. Jarier would go on to win a further 7 races that season…and the championship.
Between 1973 and 1984, BMW M12/7 powered cars would go on to win 6 Formula 2 championships in total, making it the most successful engine of the 2.000 cc F2 era.
The BMW M12/7/B engine of the March 743-05 is fully rebuilt by Swiss tuner Dupasquier Motors with 0-miles of running.
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Fia Approved Competition
The October 2024 World Council meeting saw the approval of a rare and significant update to the regulations governing the eligibility of historic cars to take part in motor sport competitions.
These changes to Appendix K of the International Sporting Code mean that, from 2025, racing cars built between the years 1991 and 2000 will be able to carry the Historic Technical Passports that allow them to compete in FIA championships and international motor sport events.
This update will bring many of the world’s most iconic race and rally cars back into the crucible of motor sport, allowing fans and enthusiasts to enjoy the sights and sounds of what was a remarkable decade of technological advancement. In circuit racing, legendary Formula1 racers from the spectacular turbo era, which previously were only approved for demonstration, are now moving to the race categorisation, together with F1cars from the period 1987-2000.
